Shipping crate



c. TAYLOR' SHIPPING CRATE Jan. 21, '1936.

Filed May 14, 1955 Patented Jan. 2l, 1936 UNITED STATES ATENT OFFICE 2 Claims.

This invention relates to a shipping crate especially designed for use in packing and ship- Pine apples..

Heretofore it has been conventional to pack apples in baskets and like containers `in such a mannerthat the apples bulged up above the top walls of the containers. Such practices invariably cause damage to the apples during shipping and especially in storage when the baskets'are stacked one upon the other. Not infrequently in cold storage rooms the baskets are vstacked eight or ten deep and crowded into tight position. This has given rise to great losses due to the bruising and crushing of the fruit.

Attempts have been made to pack apples in square or rectangular boxes, but these attempts have almost uniformly failed because of the difficulty presented in packing this type of container.

In the packing of baskets, it is a customary practice to prepare on a facing plate What lis known as a top or finished layer of apples. After the finished layer has been prepared, a suitable form adapted to hold a charge of apples is next placed on the plate Vover the finished layer previously prepared. The form is then lledwith a charge of apples adequate to ll the basket. It is also a familiar practice to insert in the form before filling a flexible liner of heavy paper or the like of sufficient strength to sustain the charge of appleswhen the form is removed. After the form is filled, it is removed. The basket is then slipped down over the paper liner containing the charge of apples. The basket together with the facing plate is then inverted and the facing plate is removed.

This method of packing is very practical and advantageous. The facing can always be prepared in advance by expert operators and the filling done later in routine fashion. It will be observed that this greatly facilitates packing over any method requiring the facing of an a1- ready filled container.

Now it is the purpose and object of the present invention to provide a substantially rectangular crate of novel construction that will lend itself to the method of packing as above outlined.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a crate such that the apples will be protected against damage incident toy shipping and storage, a crate that will withstand the compressive forces of any load tol which it may reasonably be expected to be subjected, as Well as a crate that can tured.

Other and more specific objects will become apparent as the description proceeds.

In the accompanying drawing, in which like reference characters refer to like parts:

Figure 1 is a plan view looking down into an open shipping crate conforming to the invention;

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken on the line 2--2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a sectional View 3-3 of Figure 1; and

Figure 4 is a detailed View showing one of the corner posts of the crate.

Referring to Figure 1,the crate in the main embraces the end walls l and 2 and the side walls 3 and 4. The bottom is composed of the slats indicated at 5. The four corner posts are duplicates and are indicated at 6. As a special feature of the crate, it Will be observed by reference to Figure 2 that the end walls I and 2 taper inwardly slightly from the top to the bottom of the crate. It will further be observed by reference to Figure 3 that the side Walls 3 and fl like- Wise taper inwardly from the top to the bottom of the crate. The purpose of inclining the crate from the to-p toward the bottom is to permit the same to be inverted and placed over a charge of apples that have been previously placed in a self-sustaining liner such as the liner hereinbefore specically described.

AA special feature of the invention resides in the provision of heavy baseboards 'l and 8 at the bottoms of the end walls l and 2, respectively. These heavy baseboards 'l and 8 perform several important functions. First, they provide an ex'- be economically manufactaken on the line cellent anchorage to which may be secured, by

nailing, the bottom boards or slats 5. Inasmuch as the bottom of the crate must sustain the entire load, it is essential that the bottom boards or slats 5 be securely anchored in place. This is not so necessary with respect to the top of the crate since the top of the crate does not have to sustain the Weight of the charge or load in the moving and handling of the crate.

Another important function performed by the heavy baseboards 1 and 8 is that they also function to assist in securing the requisite inclination of the end walls of the crate inwardly toward the bottom and greatly facilitate the placing of the crate over the preformed charge. In addition to the functions already assigned, the thickness of the baseboards 1 and 8 also permits the use of slats in the side walls ofthe crate that need not be cut to such absolute and accurate dimensions in order to insure the requisite inclination of the end and side Walls without causing objectionable interference at the corners of the crate. It Will be observed that in the crate as it is constructed, the slats of the side Walls 3 and 4 overlap the boards forming the end Walls I and 2, as particularly shown at 9 in Figure l.

A further and signiiicant feature of the invention resides in the Vprovision of the specially formed corner posts 6 which are cut to conform and cooperate with the heavy baseboards 1 and 8. It Will be observed by reference to Figure 4 that the triangular edges of the posts 6 are substantially parallel from the top to about the point X, and that from the point X the rear Wall indicated at IIJ, as it appears in Figure e, tapers forwardly toward the bottom Il. This is particularly apparent by reference to Figure 2l It will also be observed that the baseboards 1 and 8 are of a Width substantially equal to the distance from the bottom Il of the posts 6 to the point X and that said baseboards taper in thickness so that their inner Walls i2 and i3 are substantially complementary to the walls l0 of the posts B. In this Way it Will be observed that the requisite strengthening of the crate at the critical point is provided Without unduly Weighting the same or making it cumbersome to handle.

While the shipping crate as illustrated in the drawing is shown open, it will be understood that the crate is adapted to be closed by tacking on rather wide straps parallel to the side members 3 and 4 and anchored at their ends into the upper ends of the posts 6. It will further be appreciated that it is Within the province and scope of the invention to employ any of the conventional liners or pads used in shipping containers of this general type in cooperation with the crate conforming to the instant invention.

From the foregoing it will be observed that the invention provides a sturdy shipping crate, posessing the special advantages hereinbefore pointed out, that can be economically produced and marketed.

Having thus claim is:

l. A shipping crate for apples and the like comprising a rectangular bottom, quadrangular complementary side Walls, and quadrangular complementary end walls, with the base of each of said Walls being of less linear extent than the top thereof, and reinforcing corner posts disposed in the four corners of the crate, said posts being triangular in cross-section and of less cross-sectional area at the base than at the top.

2. A shipping crate for apples and the like comprising a rectangular bo-ttom,4 quadrangular complementary side Walls, and quadrangular complementary end walls, with the base of each of said Walls being of less Vlinear extent than the top thereof, said end Walls being characterized in that the bottoms thereof are substantially thicker than the tops, and reinforcing posts at each corner of the crate, said posts diminishing in crosssectio-nal area in the direction that the end Walls increase in thickness.

CHARLES L. TAYLOR.

described the invention, what I 

